Give Back & Gather – Talking Tables’ Take On The National Garden Scheme Fundraiser

Last week The National Garden Scheme invited supporters to host their own ‘Great British Garden Party’ and invite family and friends to join and make donations to their fund supporting vital nursing charities. Here at Talking Tables we absolutely loved the idea of combining beautiful garden set ups and spending time with family and friends whilst raising funds for such an important cause. All donations go towards critical support for nurses who remain on the front line of the COVID-19 pandemic and who need our help more than ever. We have also experienced first-hand how our own garden spaces have helped us over the lockdown period – providing much needed comfort and solace in these unusual times! We knew we wanted to get involved in this initiative which is backed by the one and only Mary Berry.

We wanted to get the word out about The National Garden Scheme’s fund and also provide someone with some great product for their own Great British Garden Party, so we posted a giveaway on our Instagram (make sure to follow us on @talkingtables_tt). We received a brilliant response with 217 entries, and announced the lucky winner who received a package of beautiful Truly Scrumptious products – perfect to compliment garden florals and colours.

We knew we wanted to give back to this cause as a company so asked our Instagram followers to comment on one of our posts detailing this scheme and for each post we added £1 to our donations! Of course we also had to get involved in the garden parties ourselves, creating our own garden tablescapes and welcoming family and friends to join. 5 members of the Talking Tables team took up the task to create their own garden parties, choosing Talking Tables products that resonated with them and their gardens, and for each table the business decided to donate £100 to The National Garden’s Scheme’s fund. The results were fabulous, with each having their own individual flare and a great time had by their attendees (up to 6 to comply with the new Government guidelines).

Have a look at their beautiful set ups below, and the reasons why they wanted to get involved in The Great British Garden Party:

Our founder Clare-

‘I am a keen visitor of the “yellow book” NGS gardens each year. They are a source of great inspiration and make a lovely day out. I also wanted to use this opportunity as a great excuse to invite two local gardening friends for a cup of tea. I picked some late summer flowers from the garden to put on the table, and even baked a courgette cake to continue the garden theme!

My sister in law is also a district nurse and I know how hard she works to get out to patients in the community. It is a great cause that we are very happy to get behind!’

‘I love the charitable aspect of this garden tea party as many charities have suffered during lock down.

It was also a lovely way to share my post lockdown garden before the autumn sets in, an excuse to catch up with friends and share tea and scones – putting that extra effort in to make them feel special.’

‘My reason for hosting this Alice in Wonderland themed party was my love for the book and all it’s characters. The whimsical, fantastical story takes me back to my childhood when I used to host imaginary tea parties with all my friends with all kinds of decorations made with tin foil.

I have also spent a lot of time redoing my garden this spring during lockdown so any excuse to enjoy the space with friends is a good enough reason!’

‘Giving to charity was a huge incentive for me, I do know a few nurses and I think the work they do is incredible and isn’t valued enough. 

The garden gathering was also a good excuse for meeting up with my family who I haven’t seen for a while, so it was a double whammy really.’

We also put on our own garden party here at the Talking Tables office. The team transformed our outside space with the help of a local gardener who arranged some beautiful planters. We used bright, colourful Talking Tables products and thoroughly enjoyed spending time in the last of the summer sun.

For each of our garden party’s Talking Tables has donated £100 to The National Garden Scheme’s fund. Along with some donations from guests we are sending a total of £530 to support vital nursing charities. We are passionate about giving back as a business in a way that brings people together, and alleviates pressure on individuals.. and the beautiful tables are of course a bonus!

This week we are excited to be taking part in Macmillan’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’, which raises funds for those living with cancer. As something that affects every one of us we are proud to raising awareness and donating to this important cause, whilst gathering together as a business to show support (and enjoy cake!).

Keep an eye out on our social media channels to keep up with all of our giving back campaigns and how you can get involved!